


where the sunlight ends

by stormss



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Found Family, Hurt Carlos Reyes, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Stabbing, Worried TK Strand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 21:53:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28927632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stormss/pseuds/stormss
Summary: "Hey, hey, just keep your eyes open," TK's voice shakes as he talks, and Carlos tries to focus on it, reaching up weakly as his instincts shout at him to comfort his boyfriend. TK rips off his gloves and ducks in close, lips quivering as he presses a kiss to Carlos' forehead. His hands are warm against Carlos' cheeks, using force to try and keep him awake. "Stay with me, Carlos."*Carlos Reyes Week, Day 5:Hurt/Comfort + "Just, hold on."
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Comments: 21
Kudos: 226
Collections: 9-1-1 Lone Star ▶ Carlos Reyes / Tyler Kennedy "TK" Strand, Carlos Reyes Week 2021





	where the sunlight ends

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first real attempt at writing something angsty/whumpy, so bear with me!! of course there's some fluff, though, because i don't think it's physically possible for me to not include it. 
> 
> also written for the lovely anon who asked for _#7: squishing their cheeks_ from the physical affection prompt list. i wasn't going to be continuing with that series, but i made an exception here because after reading anon's message i realized how well it would fit into this fic, so here we are! 
> 
> the title comes from _unpack your heart_ by phillip phillips. come say hi on [tumblr!](https://reyesstrand.tumblr.com/)

It's supposed to be a normal day. 

Sure, it's hard to have any sense of normalcy in his line of work, but for the most part he knows how to keep himself and those around him safe. And today? With the morning full of paperwork before going out on patrol just after lunch? The _definition_ of normal. He'd even seen TK a couple of times, both of them light and flirty when scenes were cleared out, and Owen had all-but demanded that Carlos come by the firehouse whenever he gets a moment later to eat. He gets coffee with his partner and they respond to a couple mild disputes, and soon enough the sun is slowly slinking down beyond the horizon, staining the sky pink and orange. 

So yeah. It's _normal._

And so Carlos isn't thinking much of it when they get called to provide backup at a house fire, in an area that has been seeing a spike in arson recently. He doesn't get a chance to see TK before he, Marjan and Judd are going in, but he holds his breath and sends a thought above to whoever might be listening that they'll all be okay. 

It turns out that his boyfriend and his team aren't who he has to worry about. And, in his defence, everything happens so quickly that he doesn't really have time to collect himself. 

Because out of nowhere, someone from the crowd they're keeping behind the barrier yells about a knife. That someone is the homeowner, and when Carlos and his partner get to him, the man's pointing them in the direction of alleyway behind the houses. They barely share a look before they're running, Carlos in front while McCoy radios dispatch, and then all of a sudden the breath is knocked out of him. 

"Reyes?" McCoy calls, and Carlos stumbles backward. The arsonist had been waiting for them, apparently, instead of just running like hell, lingering around the corner and attacking. After Carlos got an elbow to his nose, he'd suddenly felt exploding pain in his stomach, and he'd watched as the guy pulled the knife out— _not good_ —and pushed him back. 

_Shit._

"Shit," McCoy voices his thoughts out loud, immediately reaching for his radio. "Officer down, I repeat, officer down." 

It's so strange hearing those words and knowing it's about him. He plasters his hands to his stomach, hearing McCoy give their location, also reporting to dispatch about their runaway arsonist. 

Vaguely, he hears shouts and footsteps approaching. Deep down, all he can think about is TK, finding him like this. He silently hopes he's still in the process of evacuating the house—the whole reason they're even _here_ right now—but of course, because the universe is making everything about his life miserable, he hears TK's voice first. 

"Carlos? Hey, hey, you with me?" TK asks, and Carlos sees a flash of his panicked eyes as he settles down next to him. Nancy and Tim are there too, but they're not even in Carlos' mind as he stares up at his boyfriend. "What the hell happened?" 

TK's voice has gone sharper, directed now at McCoy. As his partner starts going over everything, he feels Nancy cutting away his shirt, reporting about the profusely bleeding wound in his lower-right quadrant, immediately grabbing for some gauze.

"Ty—" Carlos croaks, and his boyfriend's eyes are immediately back on him. 

"You're going to be okay," TK assures him, and even Carlos can see his hands are shaking. The moment Tim reports on his pulse, he watches as TK's face pales. "Just, hold on, okay baby? Please." 

Carlos hears Tommy's voice from somewhere above him, asserting that they have to get him to the hospital. 

But he's just so _tired._

"Hey, hey, just keep your eyes open," TK's voice shakes as he talks, and Carlos tries to focus on it, reaching up weakly as his instincts shout at him to comfort his boyfriend. TK rips off his gloves and ducks in close, lips quivering as he presses a kiss to Carlos' forehead. His hands are warm against Carlos' cheeks, using force to try and keep him awake. "Stay with me, Carlos." 

"Hurts," he manages to get out between grit teeth, briefly turning his gaze to the flurry of movement of hands over his abdomen, before looking back at the love of his life's face.

And it hits him, this need to get those three words out. 

There's more and more conversation all around him—about getting him on a gurney, about alerting the trauma surgeon at Mercy General, about everything and anything he's heard on calls for the past six years and never thought would be used in conversation about _him._ He tries to focus on TK.

That's all he can do; all he wants to do. 

They're moving him now, and he closes his eyes as he's hoisted into the ambulance. There's only a few words exchanged before he feels TK's hand curled in his as he sits next to him, the doors slamming shut after Nancy steps in after him. 

_I love you,_ he thinks, eyes focused on TK's face. He has the terrifying thought of never seeing him again, as he feels more and more pain take over his body. He can't go another moment without telling him how he feels. "Ty, I lo—" 

"No," TK shakes his head at him, roughly sniffing as he tries to school his features into a composed look. "Not here, okay? Not until you're better." 

Carlos winces again, unable to help himself. TK makes a noise in the back of his throat, but lets Nancy in to do her job. 

"You're okay," TK murmurs, likely trying to reaffirm both of them. "You're okay." 

* * *

He wakes up with a groan. 

There's the too-clean smell of a hospital room, the steady beeping the only thing he can focus on. Besides the pain, because it's terrible, spreading all throughout his stomach, accompanied by the dull ache behind his eyes. 

He groans again, and this time he feels movement in his hand. He squeezes it, and feels fingers twine with his. 

"TK?" 

Carlos cracks one eye open, though it feels like he's getting punched all over again. He clenches his jaw and fights to blink both eyes open, immediately feeling his breath being taken away when he sees his boyfriend. TK smiles at him, though there are bags under his eyes. 

"Hey, babe," TK says, his voice breaking. He clears his throat roughly, and moves even closer, the legs on the chair scraping against the linoleum floor. "How're you feeling?" 

"I've been better," Carlos replies, his throat dry. TK gets up and grabs a styrofoam cup of water from the side table, guiding the straw to Carlos' mouth. TK runs a hand through his curls as he drinks, blunt nails scraping lightly over his scalp. "Thank you." 

"Of course," TK murmurs, sitting back down, this time on the edge of Carlos' bed. Carlos just drops a hand to his leg, rubbing his thumb in gentle circles. 

"What's the verdict?" Carlos finally asks, meeting his boyfriend's eyes. 

TK scrubs a hand down his face. "Uh, the knife missed anything vital. And the asshole broke your nose, too, but they found him an hour or so after he fled the scene. You needed some blood, and then they took you to surgery. You've been out of it for—" he pauses to check his watch, before meeting his eyes again, "—six hours, or so?" 

There's a pause, and Carlos watches as a muscle in TK's jaw jumps. His eyes are pink, now that he's closer, and Carlos' heart drops to his stomach. 

"And how are you?" Carlos cocks a brow at TK, and his boyfriend lets out a humourless huff of laughter. 

"Barely holding it together, of course," TK says, eyes glistening. "I'm just—shit, Carlos, I'm just so glad you're okay." 

Carlos reaches up, hiding his wince fairly well if you ask him, cupping his boyfriend's face. "I'm not going down that easily, Ty." 

"You know, I think we should make a pact," TK starts, wiping roughly at a tear that's fallen with his fist, "no more hospitals. At least for the foreseeable future." 

"Deal," Carlos says, eyes shutting slowly when TK presses a kiss to his hairline, to his forehead, to his brow. Finally, he ducks in and places a featherlight kiss against his mouth, cupping his neck, thumb dragging against his jaw. 

TK rests his forehead against Carlos' and lets out a shaky exhale. 

"Hey," Carlos whispers, his hand curling into TK's uniform shirt, near his hip. "Don't make me wait to say it anymore." 

TK leans back the tiniest bit, lifting a brow at him. 

"I love you," Carlos says, finally, and he feels warmth spread through his chest when TK's eyes flutter shut and he smiles. 

TK presses their mouths together, once more. "I love you, too." 

Even when a knock at the door breaks them apart, TK stays put on the side of the bed, holding his hand tight, his thumb rubbing over his knuckles. As their friends pile into the room, all of them still in uniform, too, Carlos looks around at them all and feels love surround him completely.

TK smiles into the kiss he presses to his forehead, and for the briefest moment, everything in the world ceases to exist except for the two of them, surrounded by their family. And he wouldn't have it any other way. 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! comments/kudos are greatly appreciated! <3


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